See Mongabay.com for a great story on Prey Lang and the Prey Lang Network.

http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0531_preylang_avatar.html

With more than one million unique visitors per month, Mongabay.com is one of the world’s most popular environmental science and conservation news sites. The news and rainforests sections of the site are widely cited for information on tropical forests, conservation, and wildlife.

Hundreds of people attended the public forum on Prey Lang in Kampong Thom in March 2011.

Parliamentarians will answer questions and discuss the situation and future of  Prey Lang Forest, with local communities, on May 31, starting at 8am, in Preah Vihear (Pal Hal Village in Reak Reay Commune.)   The forum,  co-organized by the Prey Lang Network, CCHR, Ponlork Khmer, and OPKC, is open to the public.  Prey Lang Network members will attend as “avatars.”

A similar public forum in March in Kampong Thom, attracted national attention with the full forum broadcast on CTN as well as on radio.

Look for news and pictures from the forum on Wednesday, June 1.  The forum is expected to be broadcast on several radio stations later in the week. Stay tuned for details.

The forum sparked lively debate and attracted considerable media coverage.

INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION FOR PREY LANG’S “AVATARS”

The Prey Lang Network’s “Avatar” rally brought some needed attention to Prey Lang around the world. In the end at least 200 people, including nearly 85 network representatives from around Prey Lang, participated in the Phnom Penh rally celebrating the forest and calling for it to be officially protected, regenerated and sustainably managed

In addition to coverage on BBC television, PRI radio, and CNN’s I-Report, the  story appeared on radio, internet blogs and news services, and in newspapers in several different languages around the world in places as diverse as China, India, Mexico, the US, Brazil and Poland.  Of course it was well-covered on Khmer blogs and in the Cambodian press.

During the day, Network members also delivered copies of their petition, endorsed by more than 30,000 Cambodians, to the Prime Minister’s office and relevant ministries.

Follow the links below to see some of the media coverage.

MSNBC:  http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/25/6713834-cambodian-avatars-call-for-forests-to-be-saved

CNN I-Report:  http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-613176?ref=feeds%2Flatest

PRI’s “The World”:   http://www.theworld.org/2011/05/indigenous-protest-cambodia/

Phnom Penh Post:  http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011052649361/National-news/call-to-preserve-prey-lang.html

LA Times http://framework.latimes.com/2011/05/25/pictures-in-the-news-191/

John Vink’s Magnum:  http://networkedblogs.com/ijpFA?a=share&ref=nf

Allan Michaud’s WildCambodia:  http://allanmichaud.wordpress.com/

Google for more!

Rally to Save Prey Lang:  Phnom Penh  Freedom Park, 8am-5pm

Come support Cambodia’s “Avatars”

Like the film Avatar’s Na’vi people, who describe the Pandoran forest as “their everything,” Cambodia’s Prey Lang Forest communities say, “Prey Lang is our forest.  Where there is forest, there is life. Where there is no forest, there is no life.”

Cambodia has its own “avatars.” The Prey Lang Network, representing hundreds of indigenous Kuy communities around the forest, is on the move to save the forest from the illegal logging, agro-industrial plantations, and mines that are hastening its destruction.  To date, they have collected more than 30,000 sign-ons to a petition to Save Prey Lang.

Tomorrow, on May 25, 2011, Prey Lang Network  members, will celebrate the forest in a mass rally and press conference at the Freedom Park in Phnom Penh. They are appealing to the Government to save Prey Lang and to the people of Cambodia and the world to support them. An anticipated 200 demonstrators, including Network members painted blue and in traditional dress like “avatars,” hope to call attention to the dire situation of Prey Lang forest and its communities. Supporters from Phnom Penh and other areas are expected to join the event, which will include songs and dances from the forest communities.

The Network is petitioning the Royal Government of Cambodia to:

• Stop granting economic land concessions and suspend all those already granted in Prey Lang and the surrounding buffer areas;
• Give protected status to Prey Lang and keep and conserve Prey Lang as a heritage for Cambodia; and
• Recognize the Prey Lang Network to be partners with the government in co-management of the forest.

The Event:

• Prey Lang Rally at the Freedom Park in Phnom Penh:  May 25, 8am-5pm.
• Come enjoy ethnic Kuy indigenous art, song, music and dance, telling the importance of natural resources and showing how Kuy culture is strongly tied to the forest.
• PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:  As Cambodia’s “Avatars,” they will be in blue body paint and traditional Kuy dress, including hats made from tree materials. This will provide you with lots of good photo opportunities.
• Listen into a Radio discussion by Prey Lang Network members on  May 25, 7-8am and 4-5pm on Voice of Democracy Fm 106.5

JOIN US NOW TO SAVE OUR PREY LANG

Add your voice today to help save Prey Lang Forest. Everyday more of the forest is destroyed and families are displaced by illegal logging, agro-industrial plantations, and mines.  Join the Prey Lang Network of indigenous Kuy communities in calling for Prey Lang’s protection and sustainable management.

Prey Lang is the last large primary forest of its kind on the Indochinese peninsula. As one Cambodia’s most important remaining watersheds, it supports the food, water, and livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of people.  Prey Lang provides habitat for as many as 50 endangered species and is a powerhouse to fight climate change.

Prey Lang is YOUR forest, too.

Click here to sign the petition in support of the people and forests of Prey Lang.

More information can be found here.

Prey Lang is YOUR Forest Too!

You can support Prey Lang and the Prey Lang Network by making a short video to be used as part of the campaign to protect Prey Lang.  Your video will be one of many from Cambodia and around the world, giving a human face to the fight for Prey Lang.

The “Prey Lang is My Forest Too” movement will attract attention to the fate of Prey Lang Forest, while tying together the human stories of the indigenous people of Prey Lang with people around the world. This campaign is designed to take advantage of easily accessible media technologies, and give Prey Lang a seat in a global debate about forests, human rights and climate change.

How to Make Your Own “Prey Lang, It’s My Forest Too” Video

You may need a friend. Your friend will help you film your short story and film you speaking to the camera. You can also film a group of people, it’s up to you.

1.  Find a good location to film. Try and find an interesting location, one that can convey something about where you live (for example outside your house, in your garden, on a village street, with your family, standing next to a tree, sitting by a stream etc.)

2.  Find somewhere comfortable to stand and get your friend to set up the camera about 1-2 meters away from you. Make sure where you are standing is well lit and is quiet.

3.  Have your friend press record. Now speaking directly to camera say:

• Your name
• Your age (optional for those of you who are shy about this!)
• And/or your profession or something else that identifies you (student, girl/boy scout, etc.) and
• Where you live. (If you are a student, it would also be good to say where you go to school.)

4.  Answer ONE of the following questions, either/or:

• Why are forests important to you?
• What the effects of forests being cut down?
• Why are you worried about forests being cut down?

Try and include the question in the answer (for example: The forest is important to me because…. OR When forests are cut down….. OR I am worried about forests being cut down because….)

Don’t be afraid to be creative. You could make your video into a song and dance, a poem, a pantomime or brief skit. You can use props and costumes, if you like.

5. To close your video, say: “Prey Lang, It’s my forest too.”  Or if you are a group, you say “Prey Lang, it’s our forest, too.”

6.  After you say, “Prey Lang, it’s our forest, too,” your friend should stop recording.

7.  Now your video is completed you need to send it to us. To do this you will need a computer and access to the internet. Using your camera (video, stills or phone) and the appropriate cable download your video to a computer.

8.  Now upload it to your youtube account and tag and subscribe to the campaign’s channel: preylangitsmyforest.

Your video will now be available for all to see on youtube and the Prey Lang webpage.

-or-

If you do not have a youtube account send your video to preylangourforest@gmail.com

9.  Tell your friends about your video.  Post the link on your Facebook page or blog or send it to them by email. If you send by email it may be 24 hours before you can view it online.

10.  Encourage your friends to make their own “Prey Lang, it’s our forest, too” videos. Tell them about Prey Lang and give them a copy of these directions.

What else can you do?

Host a “Prey Lang, It’s Our Forest Too” party or workshop.

• First, tell your friends about Prey Lang, using materials found on the website.
• Show them your video.
• Encourage your friends to work alone, in pairs, or in groups to think of creative ideas for their own videos.
• Have cameras available for filming. Upload videos on the spot and then watch them back together.